You asked, Ken answers ...

We just received a 9-page resume from an individual applying to work here. My manager said that this resume alone should be enough to eliminate him from consideration, but he has had some valuable experience and I'd like to interview him. What do you suggest?

When an applicant sends you a resume that resembles an epic novel, you are getting far more information than appears in the text itself. Although it is difficult to draw any conclusions, you can draw some hypotheses.

On the positive side, perhaps this is just a thorough, detail-minded, somewhat compulsive individual. If you are trying to fill a research or analytical position, this applicant is certainly telling you that he sweats the small stuff.

However, his resume can also point to some less flattering interpretations. For example, it seems to be showing that he has not read or heard anything about the key steps in obtaining a job, one of which is to have a brief and crisp resume. Perhaps this tome was put together by a trusted advisor who told the candidate that this is the way to make a resume stand out. Unfortunately, it has a much greater likelihood of making a resume that is thrown out.

The best step is to look carefully at the position and then look back at this resume. If you see the makings of a match in this tight labor market, you should interview him. However, there may be another problem: if you think his resume is long, just wait until the interview.

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